Linens of the Past

Here's how one woman from the past used her cognitive surplus:


Each one of these fabric envelopes is made of white linen, now yellowed substantially (though less so on the Knives folder). They're lined with still-white cotton flannel, where the silverware would be laid out before it was folded into the linen holder.


Aside from generally loving the embroidery (I love any kind of embroidery... can't get enough of the stuff), the thing I adore most about these bits of folk art is the lettering.


I love the inverted arch "smile curve" baseline on the letters, which is very hard to do well...


And the occasional serif thrown in on the L, E, and S shapes....


Oh, and the dotted running stitch in the center of each letter surrounded by a solid outline. 

I wonder if these were created as part of a hope chest or trousseau by a young woman, or if they were a project she did after she married? Either way, I hope they were treasured for a long time by the family that followed her. And I know they are treasured in my family.